JP2021152480A - Slave device - Google Patents

Abstract

To enhance visibility of lamps for displaying information on cable connectors.SOLUTION: A slave device (1) comprises information display lamps (annular lamps 32) provided on a front panel for respective ones of some of multiple cable connectors disposed on the front panel (12), each lamp surrounding a corresponding cable connector (42).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a slave device.

In the field of factory automation (FA), various types of devices that share work processes are controlled. An industry called a field network that connects various controllers, sensors and actuators used in a process in a certain area such as factory facilities, control equipment that controls sensors and actuators, and manufacturing equipment in order to operate them in cooperation with each other. Network is built.

In a general field network, a master-slave system composed of various slave devices and a master device is adopted. An example of a slave device is a gateway device that connects devices such as sensors, controllers, and actuators to a field network via the slave device. The master device is a device called (PLC: Programmable Logic Controller) that centrally manages such slave devices.

In such a field network, a large number of communication cables are laid between each device to construct a network. Ethernet / IP is an example of such a field network method (ETHERNET: registered trademark, Ethernet: registered trademark).

JP-A-2007-316770

In the gateway device for FA, it is necessary that the cable can be easily connected and disconnected at the site in order to change the process or change the setup. In order to make it easier for managers and workers of the process to which the field network is applied (hereinafter referred to as managers) to understand the cable connection relationship, in the gateway device for FA, the connectors of various cables are on the front panel. It is provided in.

Further, the gateway device for FA may be provided with an information indicator lamp indicating the state of connection with the device by the cable connector or the state of abnormality of the device connected to the cable connector. The information display lamp related to the connector is configured by using, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like, and is intended to enable an administrator or the like to check these states at the site where the gateway device is installed.

However, since the cable for connecting the device is connected on the front panel side, there is a problem that the information display lamp is difficult to see because it is blocked by the cable. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize a slave device in which the visibility of the information indicator lamp related to the cable connector is good even when the cable is connected to the cable connector. And.

The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. One aspect of the present invention is a slave device that connects to a network and communicates with a master device, that is, a front panel, a plurality of cable connectors arranged on the front panel, and a plurality of the cable connectors. Each of them is provided with an information indicator lamp arranged on the front panel so as to surround the cable connector.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a slave device having good visibility of the information display lamp related to the cable connector even when the cable is connected to the cable connector.

In the slave device according to the one aspect, the cable connector provided with the information display lamp may be configured to be a device connector for connecting to the device. According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a slave device as a gateway device capable of connecting a plurality of devices such as a sensor, an actuator, and a controller to a network via the slave device.

In the slave device according to the one aspect, the information display lamp has a configuration for displaying at least one of a connection state with the device by the cable connector provided with the information display lamp and a state of the device. May be good. According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a slave device in which an administrator or the like can easily check the state related to the device connected to the slave device as the gateway device in the field.

In the slave device according to the one aspect, the information display lamp may have a configuration capable of emitting light in a plurality of emission colors. According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a slave device in which an administrator or the like can easily confirm various information about the state related to the device on site.

In the slave device according to the one aspect, the information display lamp may have a configuration capable of emitting light differently for each region. According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a slave device in which an administrator or the like can easily confirm various information about the state related to the device on site.

In the slave device according to the one aspect, the information indicator lamp may have an annular configuration surrounding the cable connector. According to the above configuration, a slave device in which the form of the information display lamp is more embodied can be realized.

In the slave device according to the one side surface, the light emitting surface of the information display lamp may have a configuration protruding from the front panel. According to the above configuration, a slave device having excellent visibility of the information display lamp can be realized from a direction other than the front.

According to the slave device according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a slave device in which the visibility of the information display lamp related to the cable connector is good even when the cable is connected to the cable connector.

It is a perspective view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a left side view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a right side view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the slave device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter, also referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described with reference to the drawings.

§1 Application example First, an example of a situation in which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the slave device 1 of the present embodiment. The slave device 1 of the present embodiment is a field network terminal that connects to a field network (network) and communicates with the master device.

The slave device 1 includes a substantially rectangular front panel 12. A plurality of cable connectors are arranged on the front panel 12. A plurality of the plurality of cable connectors are provided with an annular lamp 32 arranged on the front panel 12 so as to surround the cable connector.

The cable connector provided with the annular lamp 32 can be a device connector 42 for connecting to the device. The other cable connector may be a communication connector 41 for connecting to a field network.

By providing the slave device 1 with the above configuration, it is possible to realize a slave device having good visibility of the information display lamp related to the cable connector even when the cable is connected to the cable connector. Therefore, the manager or the like can easily recognize the state information related to the cable connector at the site.

In particular, when the slave device 1 is a gateway device for FA, the administrator or the like can easily recognize the state of connection with the device or the state of abnormality of the connected device.

§2 Configuration example <Overview of slave device>
The slave device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The slave device 1 is a terminal in the field network. As a specific example, Ethernet / IP can be applied to the communication method of the field network, but the present invention is not limited to this (ETHERNET: registered trademark, Ethernet: registered trademark).

The slave device 1 communicates with the master device through the field network. A programmable logic controller can be applied to such a master device.

Further, a plurality of devices such as sensors, actuators, and controllers can be connected to the slave device 1, and the slave device 1 is a gateway device that relays these devices and connects them to the field network. The slave device 1 enables the operation control of these connected devices by the master device, or enables the data collection by the master device.

<Slave device form>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the slave device 1. 2 and 3 are a front view and a rear view of the slave device 1, respectively. 4 and 5 are a left side view and a right side view of the slave device 1, respectively. 6 and 7 are a plan view and a bottom view of the slave device 1, respectively.

As shown, the slave device 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The back surface 13 is substantially rectangular. The back surface 13 is a side surface viewed directly in FIG. 3 (rear view). The side surfaces of the slave device 1 in contact with the short side of the rectangle on the back surface 13 are the side surface 14 and the side surface 15. The side surfaces of the slave device 1 in contact with the long side of the rectangle on the back surface 13 are the side surface 16 and the side surface 17.

The side surface 14, the side surface 15, the side surface 16, and the side surface 17 are surfaces that are substantially orthogonal to the back surface 13. The side surface 14, the side surface 15, the side surface 16, and the side surface 17 are substantially facing each other in FIGS. 4 (left side view), 5 (right side view), 6 (plan view), and 7 (bottom view), respectively. It is a face.

On the front side of the slave device 1, a front panel 12 parallel to the back surface 13 is arranged. The front panel 12 is substantially rectangular. The short side of the front panel 12 has substantially the same length as the short side of the back surface 13. Then, each of the side surface 16 and the side surface 17 is connected to the long side of the front panel 12. The long side of the front panel 12 is shorter than the long side of the back surface 13, and each of the side surface 14 and the side surface 17 is not connected to the front panel 12.

A step is formed from the side surface 14 to the front panel 12, and an orthogonal surface 14a substantially orthogonal to the front panel 12 is connected to the front panel 12. A parallel surface 12a substantially parallel to the front panel 12 is connected to the orthogonal surface 14a and the side surface 14. The orthogonal plane 14a is a plane receding from the side surface 14 of the slave device 1.

A step is formed from the side surface 15 to the front panel 12, and an orthogonal surface 15a substantially orthogonal to the front panel 12 is connected to the front panel 12. A parallel surface 12b substantially parallel to the front panel 12 is connected to the orthogonal surface 15a and the side surface 15. The orthogonal plane 15a is a plane receding from the side surface 15 of the slave device 1.

Thus, the orthogonal surface 14a and the orthogonal surface 15a are connected to the short sides of the front panel 12, and the side surfaces 16 and 17 are connected to the long sides, respectively. The side surface 16 and the side surface 17 are also orthogonal planes that are substantially orthogonal to the front panel 12.

In the region where the front panel 12 and the orthogonal surface 14a are connected substantially orthogonally, a facet 24 (facet) as a chamfered surface is formed in these connecting portions in detail. Similarly, in the region where the front panel 12 and the orthogonal surface 15a are connected substantially orthogonally, a facet 25 (facet) as a chamfered surface of these connecting portions is formed in detail. The facets 24 and 25 are elongated faces along the short sides of the front panel 12, respectively.

Therefore, the fact that the orthogonal surface 14a is connected to the front panel 12 is an expression including that a small surface 24, which is a chamfered surface, may be formed between the connecting portions. The same applies to other orthogonal planes.

Of the regions where the front panel 12 and the side surfaces 16 are connected substantially orthogonally, in the region separated from the apex of the front panel 12, in detail, a facet 26 (facet) as a chamfered surface is formed on these connecting portions. ing. Similarly, in the region where the front panel 12 and the side surface 17 are connected substantially orthogonally, in the region separated from the apex of the front panel 12, in detail, the facet 27 (facet) as a chamfered surface is connected to these connecting portions. Is formed. The facets 26 and 27 are elongated faces along the short sides of the front panel 12, respectively.

A through hole 22 is arranged between the side surface 14 and the orthogonal surface 14a which is a surface recessed from the side surface 14. The through hole 22 is formed in a parallel surface 12a forming a step near the side surface 14, and penetrates to the back surface 13. A through hole 23 is arranged between the side surface 15 and the orthogonal surface 15a which is a surface recessed from the side surface 15. The through hole 23 is formed in a parallel surface 12b forming a step near the side surface 15 and penetrates to the back surface 13.

Each of the through hole 22 and the through hole 23 is used to fix the slave device 1 to a wall surface or the like by screwing with screws or bolts, or by a method using other appropriate members. At that time, the slave device 1 is fixed so that the back surface 13 is on the wall surface side and the front panel 12 is exposed.

<Structure on the front panel>
A plurality of cable connectors are arranged on the front panel 12. Since various cables are connected to the front side of the slave device 1, the administrator or the like can more easily change the connection of various cables when changing the process, updating the device, changing the setup, etc. You will be able to do it. In addition, it is possible to facilitate on-site surveys of various cable connections by managers and the like.

The cable connector on the front panel 12 includes: Communication connector 41 for connection with a field network. Device connector 42 for connecting to the device. Power input connector 43, power output connector 44. In the specific example shown, the slave device 1 includes two sets of communication connectors 41. These are arranged side by side in the front panel 12 near the side surface 15. That is, they are arranged along one short side of the substantially rectangular front panel 12.

Further, the slave device 1 includes eight types of device connectors 42 in a region of the front panel 12 separated from the short side. Within the front panel 12, four equations are arranged along the side surface 16 and the remaining four equations are arranged along the side surface 17. Further, the slave device 1 includes a set of a power input connector 43 and a set of a power output connector 44. These are arranged side by side in the front panel 12 near the side surface 14. That is, they are arranged along the other short side of the substantially rectangular front panel 12.

On the front panel 12 of the slave device 1, an indicator 31 capable of displaying the operation status of the slave device 1 and the like is arranged. The indicator 31 is composed of a plurality of small lamps. Each small lamp displays a state of lighting, blinking, and extinguishing, and a state of various operations of the slave device 1 depending on the emission color. In the illustrated specific example, the indicator 31 is arranged on the front panel 12 on the side away from the side surface 15 in the vicinity of the communication connector 41.

Specific examples of the operating state of the slave device 1 represented by the indicator 31 include a communication state through the respective communication connectors 41, and an operating state of the power input connector 43 and the power output connector 44. Alternatively, whether or not the operation of the slave device 1 has an abnormality, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the connection with the device, and whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the operation of the device can be mentioned.

An annular lamp 32 is arranged around each device connector 42. In FIG. 1, an enlarged view P1 in the vicinity of the device connector 42 and the annular lamp 32 is inserted. The annular lamp 32 will be described in detail below.

<Ring lamp>
The annular lamp 32 comprises an annular light emitting surface that surrounds the device connector 42 exposed on the front panel 12. The annular lamp 32 is an example of an information display lamp provided on the device connector 42.

However, the form of the information display lamp provided on the device connector 42 is not limited to the form of the annular lamp 32. The information display lamp provided on the device connector 42 has a light emitting surface having other shapes such as an ellipse, a polygon, a polygon with rounded corners, and a semicircle, which are arranged so as to surround the device connector 42. It may be a thing.

In particular, as shown in enlarged views P1, 6 and 7 of FIG. 1, the information display lamp (annular lamp 32) arranged so as to surround the device connector 42 is the main surface on the front side thereof. The surface is configured to protrude from the front panel 12. The side surface that appears by projecting from the front panel 12 also constitutes a light emitting surface from which light is taken out.

In this way, the information display lamp (annular lamp 32) arranged so as to surround the device connector 42 is configured such that the main surface and the side surface, which are light emitting surfaces, protrude from the front panel 12. The information display lamp (annular lamp 32) arranged so as to surround the device connector 42 is provided with such a form, and is not limited to the case of observing from the direction facing the front side of the slave device 1, but also at an angle. Visibility can be improved even when observing from the side direction.

The device connector 42 may be a cable connector capable of performing communication with the device in accordance with a predetermined communication standard. As a specific example of a predetermined communication standard, IO-Link® may be applied.

The annular lamp 32 displays state information related to the device connector 42 on which the annular lamp 32 is provided. The state information related to the device connector 42 presented by the annular lamp 32 can be appropriately selected from various information such as the following.

Information about setting the connection mode with the device. For example, it may be information on which of an output mode for outputting a required signal to the device, an input mode for receiving a signal from the device, a mode for linking with the device according to a predetermined communication standard, and the like are set. In addition, it may be information in a state that the connection with the device is not set.

Information about the status of the connection with the device. For example, it may be information on whether or not the device connector 42 is executing signal exchange with the device, information indicating that an abnormality such as a short circuit has occurred in the cable, or the like. It may be information about the state of the connection-destination device, for example, information about the presence or absence of an abnormality in the operation of the device received from the connection-destination device.

The annular lamp 32 displays information on the state related to the device connector 42 by changing the off / on / blinking state and the emission color according to the type of information selected from these various types of information. In particular, the annular lamp 32 can present a wide variety of information to the administrator or the like by changing the emission color.

Conventionally, the information display lamp is usually composed of a small area light emitting surface of a circle or a quadrangle. Therefore, if the information display lamp is arranged adjacent to the device connector 42, it is likely to be hidden by the connected cable and become invisible. .. On the other hand, if the information display lamp is arranged at a position away from the device connector 42, there is a problem that it is difficult for the administrator or the like to grasp the relationship between the information display lamp and the device connector 42.

However, the annular lamp 32 of the slave device 1 according to the embodiment is configured in a ring shape so as to surround the device connector 42. Therefore, there is a very small possibility that the light emitting state is hidden by the cable connected to the device connector 42 and cannot be visually recognized, and the visibility is excellent. It can also be clearly shown that the annular lamp 32 displays information about the device connector 42 that surrounds it.

The device connector 42 may be able to handle a plurality of signals as a set. For example, there is a case where it corresponds to an operation of receiving a sensor signal while outputting (supplying power) a signal for operation to a sensor which is a device. Alternatively, there is a case where a response from the actuator is received while outputting a signal according to the operation to the actuator.

In this way, when the device connector 42 can handle a plurality of signals, the region of the annular lamp 32 can be divided into each signal, and the state information can be displayed in each of the signals. For example, when the device connector 42 can handle two sets of signals, the right half and the left half of the ring-shaped region of the annular lamp 32 can be displayed separately. With such a configuration, the slave device 1 can display a wider variety of information related to the device connector 42.

<Indicator lamp>
The slave device 1 is provided with a plurality of indicator lamps capable of giving an important notification such as an alarm to an administrator or the like. An example of an important notification executed by the indicator lamp is a case where there is an abnormality in the operation or connection of the slave device 1 itself or the device connected to the slave device 1. In such a case, the device connected to the slave device 1 cannot be operated normally, and the process to which the slave device 1 is applied does not operate normally.

The indicator lamps are arranged on each of the four sides of the front panel 12 of the slave device 1. The indicator lamp 34 is arranged on the short side connected to the orthogonal plane 14a. The indicator lamp 35 is arranged on the short side connected to the orthogonal plane 15a. An indicator lamp 36 is arranged on the long side connected to the side surface 16. An indicator lamp 37 is arranged on the long side connected to the side surface 17.

Further, each indicator lamp is arranged apart from the apex of the front panel 12. As a result, the indicator lamps are arranged at positions separated from each other. Preferably, each indicator lamp is located approximately at the center of each side of the front panel 12.

Characteristically, each indicator lamp has a light emitting surface on the front panel 12, a light emitting surface on the orthogonal surface, and a light emitting surface on a small surface as a chamfered surface at a connecting portion between the front panel and the orthogonal surface. have. In each indicator lamp, these three light emitting surfaces are formed to be continuous.

That is, the indicator lamp 34 has a light emitting surface on the front panel 12, a light emitting surface on the orthogonal surface 14a, and a light emitting surface on the small surface 24. The indicator lamp 35 has a light emitting surface on the front panel 12, a light emitting surface on the orthogonal surface 15a, and a light emitting surface on the small surface 25. The indicator lamp 36 has a light emitting surface on the front panel 12, a light emitting surface on the side surface 16, and a light emitting surface on the small surface 26. The indicator lamp 37 has a light emitting surface on the front panel 12, a light emitting surface on the side surface 17, and a light emitting surface on the small surface 27.

By providing each indicator lamp with the above arrangement and configuration, one of the indicator lamps can be visually recognized from various directions except from the back side of the slave device 1. Further, even if a large number of cables are connected to the front panel 12, there is less possibility that an indicator lamp that can give an important notification such as an alarm is hidden and cannot be visually recognized.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned application examples and configuration examples, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the disclosed technical means. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Slave device 12 Front panel 12a, 12b Parallel surface 13 Back surface 14, 15, 16, 17 Side surface 14a, 15a Orthogonal surface 22, 23 Through hole 24, 25, 26, 27 Small surface 31 Indicator 32 Circular lamp 34, 35, 36 , 37 Indicator lamp 41 Communication connector 42 Device connector 43 Power input connector 44 Power output connector

Claims (7)

A slave device that connects to a network and communicates with the master device.
Front panel and
With a plurality of cable connectors arranged on the front panel,
A slave device including information indicator lamps provided on a plurality of the cable connectors and arranged on the front panel so as to surround the cable connectors. The slave device according to claim 1, wherein the cable connector provided with the information indicator lamp is a device connector for connecting to a device. The slave device according to claim 2, wherein the information display lamp displays at least one of a connection state with the device by the cable connector provided with the information display lamp and a state of the device. The slave device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information display lamp can emit light in a plurality of emission colors. The slave device according to claim 4, wherein the information display lamp may emit light differently depending on the region. The slave device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information display lamp is an annular shape surrounding the cable connector. The slave device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the light emitting surface of the information display lamp projects from the front panel.

Images